Refugees vs. Arts

Since 2011, the UTE has been intensively dealing with the issue of Europe’s internal and external borders, taking into account the antagonism of European and national or regional interests in refugee matters, ‘regulated external borders’, and the reasons for and results of their opening and closing.

Since then, we have repeatedly asked the question which role art and theatre can take on in this longer and longer lasting crisis with ever changing faces. Are plays in which refugees are put on stage a platform for these people or simply an exposure? Can authors who don’t come from troubled regions even write about these burning issues? Are plays written by authors from Syria or Afghanistan automatically better? Should art deal with difficult matters directly or only indirectly? Where should the concrete encounter with people seeking protection be: on stage? In the writing process? In the research? At symposiums? In aid projects? Is theatre the right place for a theoretical approach?

We consider it to be one of our central responsibilities to pursue these and other questions.